Mr. DshngDaryl,
That's very kind of you to give me such a link. Many thanks.

 

Mr. Paul, thank you for the lead. I am working on it.
BTW, at 76, I have my senior moments too.
Best, Joe

 

Hi Bob...are you still active in this group?
Thanks,
Andrew

 

Are you referring to VVTiBob?
if so, his last post was in April 2020.
Bob had been dealing with health issues in the past, then came back for a while then disappeared again. I do hope he is well but it may not be the case.
he was such an excellent, smart contributor and i miss him.

can we help you with something?

 

Hi, thank you for the response, and I was talking about VVTiBob. I am new to the group, saw he was from San Diego, and was having issue with getting my hardtop down, but someone else answered my question. Much appreciated!
Andrew

 

I am new to the group. In May, I purchased a 2002 SC 430 with 30,000 miles on it. Excellent condition. It has not been driven in the last 3 years (former owner died). Everything works great, except for the top. Sometimes, not always, the top will fully open and close, but the red light stays on and there is no dinging sound to notify me that the open/close cycle is complete. I need to turn off the engine and come back later and start the engine and push the open/close switch multiple times until the light goes out and it dings. Sometimes I need to go through this process multiple times before the light goes out and it dings. I had the radio replaced by a great car audio store about three weeks ago. The car top open/close issues were occurring before I had the radio replaced. I just took the car to a Lexus dealer and the mechanic tried to get the diagnostic codes for the top. He said he could not get any diagnostic codes for the top. He suspects that the new radio installation somehow is to blame for the lack of the car top codes. Has anyone run into this issue before? Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

Welcome Chipf. Congrats on your new ride. The doc attached here is in my opinion, one of the most important doc's in identifying component locations for the average owner. The 02 Sliding roof elec components. And in the next message attachment is the nuts. With these two doc's, you can pretty much tell where your "failures" plural, are. Now lets talk here about a few things. You have a fantastic car with only 30,000 miles in 22 years. That's less than 1500 miles a year. The grease in the top latches, hinges, brackets and joints is most likely severely degraded. Some maintenance is going to be required. "Most" of it is easy enough. But there are a couple of spots that we can talk about later after you study that attachment.

The switch will turn red until the cycle is complete. Then you hear the ding. Among other things. If the top fails at any point during the cycle, the switch will stay red until you turn the key off and then back on to "Clear the CODES" that ARE generated but are part of a volatile memory system that does not allow TOP codes to be stored. I believe Lexus did it that way, so that you could continue trying to cycle the top instead of it just being disabled until the codes could be cleared using a scan tool. But your scanner must be connected during top operation to see them. Hence the PDF for guidance without having a scanner. Man, this is a big subject.

TechStream is the OEM's scan tool. Lots of info on YouTube as well as many many other articles. Make it part of your research when you are trying to figure out a problem. But if you can get TechStream to work, it gives you the ability to do everything the dealer can do. Probably more to be honest. But there are other tools out there that will be more than sufficient for most backyard mechanics.

You "should" only cycle your top up and down while the engine is running to ensure the maximum current from the "100 AMP Alternator" can provide plenty of power to something like thirteen motors and multiple computers all working together to make that happen.

And we of course have to mention that many of us have experienced the dreaded "Critters". Mine last year was a Rat under the intake manifold. Probably nothing to do with your problems with the top, but, take the time to pull covers, look for leaks, nest etc. before you go too hog wild. ;-) The CD player is delicate. DO NOT USE HOME MADE DISK if you still have the original head unit. It is NON REPAIREABLE. I have a replacement from ebay just in case.

Your door, rear speakers and Subwoofer are most likely all blown due to rotting of the cones. Nothing a good afternoon cant fix. But your going to have to learn a whole bunch of new skills to own a classic.

I would check to see when the timing belt was last changed. You don't want the original I assure you. The 3UZ-Fe engine is one of those rare engineering miracles that only comes around in a blue moon. But it is an interference engine. The valves loose timing and they smack the top of the pistons. Nothing ever good comes from that. Your engine is Aluminum. Don't ever let it over heat.

I like "L Seat" for replacement seat covers if you need. Buy ONLY real Lexus parts if they are available. Cost more but you will regret it if you don't. Your Retractable Antenna is no longer available so if your need to replace the mast, your using aftermarket. Some people change it out for a stubby. I'm a purest though.

Lastly, bite the bullet and buy yourself a set of service manuals. You should not have to spend more that about $450.00 for a new set. Skip the transmission.

So anyway. I hope you are a DIY'er, because your "New" ride is indeed very old. Not that she needs much. Change the oil, all your fluids, differential, coolant, brake fluid. I change all of my vacuum lines and coolant lines in the engine bay every 100K because they get old, hard and brittle. You will need to look at these. Hopefully you have already gone to Lexus and downloaded the maintenance records. Should be short but complete. As much as it pains me to say it. Your not going to get much help from the dealer. They have to assign a Master Mechanic to the SC430 because of it's age and complexity. Sometimes they don't have a Master Mechanic available and you get what you get.

That's enough for now. You may know most of this already. There are some really great people here with unbeatable knowledge and willingness to help. Keep us informed. Let us know some details how you ended up with such a ride. ;-)

Paul

 

Between the two doc's, you'll be an expert in no time. ;-)

Paul

 

Thanks Paul for the very helpful comments and attachments. I have had the oil and fluids replaced. This week I am getting a new timing belt. I will let you know how the rooftop issue is resolved. I am not a DIY guy, but have a very good repair shop that I have used several times.

Chip

 

Just to re-iterate what Paul said. The dealer most lilkey couldn't read the codes because he wasn't running the roof as he ran the test. I do not think it has anything to do with the radio install. If they had done something to effect the computer, your top would not work at all.

the latch that secures the top to the windshield has been known to not engage all the way because people thought the roof rattled and tried putting something in the holes in the window frame.

I would check that. As you sit in the driver's seat with the top down, there are two holes for the locking pin to fit into. One on the driver's side, one on the passengers side. Close to the edge of the windshield. Check to make sure they are absolutely clear. If they aren't clean them out. If they are, that probably isn't your problem

 

Thanks for that information and tip DshngDARYL. I will check out the two locking pin holes.